Issue #0: Let’s Get It Started

🎵 Let’s get it started, ha! 🎵

What do metaframeworks and good ol’ songs have in common? They both make the journey more interesting.

I believe there will be a better occasion to elaborate on the boring basics like “what” and “why.” For now, I’d like to introduce you to the structure and main expectations for Metaframeworks Weekly, along with some cool resources I’d recommend for those who need a quick grasp on the topic at hand. Go “meta,” if you will.

The good

This newsletter is going to be small.

I don’t like lengthy philosophical texts in the form of a letter, so I’m going to cut it to the core — the most interesting news, updates, and topics that emerged during the past week. I’ll try to limit the list to half a dozen links and things, not more, touching not only on the things near and dear to the hearts of metaframework proponents but also on the things that make you think about the complexity they bring and the price you pay for that.

And talking about such things…

The bad

This newsletter is going to be small.

I would like to dig deeper sometimes, and I have a lot to say, but the thing is, it’s never enough. My bookmarks and notes lists already count in the thousands (as do yours, I believe), so my goal with this newsletter is to distill the most important and fresh news and releases from the metaframeworks ecosystem. Like, for starters…

The noteworthy

While this specific list might not be exactly the latest news headlines, I wanted to give you a feeling of what it’s going to be like, without sticking too strictly to the limits of regular media.

So here’s what I want you to read in this inaugural issue of Metaframeworks Weekly:

• Understanding the JavaScript Meta-framework Ecosystem. This article by Ben Holmes is old but has been updated to 2024, and it’s by far my favorite top-level overview of the topic of this newsletter.
• State of JS 2024. Metaframeworks. I don’t usually like surveys of any kind, but this one from Sacha Greif and the gang is quite new and detailed, including interesting facts about the metaframeworks ecosystem. Even if the results aren’t very representative, there are some good insights that might make you consider metaframeworks in general — or a specific one — for your next big thing.
• Merging Remix and React Router. This is another old but freshly updated (with the release of React Router v7) article by Brooks Lybrand, which will give you insights not only into the life of one of the most popular React-based metaframework tools but also into the dynamics of this ecosystem, where everything changes back and forth nearly every month.
• Why we switched to Astro (and why it might interest you). A quite characteristic example of the aforementioned dynamics. This article by Stefano Verna made some Hacker News noise and is a good indicator of the inevitable revaluation of values that comes with a software project’s growth. I’ve personally switched to Astro too.
• Cognitive load is what matters. This piece by Artem Zakirullin has nothing to do with metaframeworks at first glance. Or does it? It’s a good reminder that with great power comes great cognitive load, and with great cognitive load, nothing may come anymore.

So that’s it. That’s your familiarization sheet. Do you like it? And what do you think of the plan for this newsletter declared above in general?

Please don’t hesitate to let me know in response, or if you stumbled upon this issue online, directly via ping@fyodor.io.

And since I’m publishing this zero-level issue on December 30th, have a happy new year!

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